Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Economic tectonics

The balance is shifting, readjusting as China et al appeal to let their economies expand, and (interestingly) Qatar follow Sweden in switching away from the Dollar to the Euro. Japan claims it's strong enough to cope with a stronger yen...

I realised last night that there's no way our "own" economy can be sustained in the light of all this. Consumers (aka the "general public") are being used in the very same way as both city workers and natural resources - all are having their maximum "output" sucked out of them until they break, at which point they become discarded in favour of the next. That kind of usage just doesn't last very long (10 years?), especially with less jobs around (if such is the case) and less ability to get paid as much for the same job (very much the case, i suspect... sorry, no refs).

Climate change is supposed to be the killer, but global economies may force a lot of us to seek cheap, sustainable lifestyles long before that.